Almost a year ago, I wrote that the lack of Orioles All Stars told the story of their disappointing first half. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This year’s team features a new manager, a prized free agent signing, and a beefed up rotation. Still, the Orioles appear to be trending toward only one All Star representative for the second consecutive season. They’re also under .500 for the second straight year.
Baltimore entered last night’s game against Seattle at 34-39.
The team dug itself into an early hole and has yet to fully recover. There’s been flashes of potential but not nearly enough sustained success to make a real playoff push.
So how did this happen? Think back to last offseason. How many All Stars would you have predicted for this team?
Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso felt close to locks. The Orioles inked the five time All Star to a five year, $155 million dollar deal. The Polar Bear had been named to four consecutive All Star teams, and his participation in the Home Run Derby always brought a smile to Mets fans.
Henderson entered the year with three straight 5 WAR seasons under his belt. Many expected the 24-year-old to take another step forward on his way to a contract much higher than Alonso’s recent deal.
As of Monday, Alonso ranked fifth in the voting at first base and Henderson had the sixth most votes at shortstop. Henderson arrived in Seattle with a perfectly pedestrian 100 OPS+. Alonso has come on of late, but his numbers are weighed down by a .198/.306/.362 line from March/April.
A team isn’t judged by how many All Stars it has. The fan vote is mostly a popularity contest, and every team gets at least one player. But the fact that neither Alonso or Henderson are trending toward a spot feels troubling.
Who else would you have picked back in March? Jordan Westburg was an All Star in 2024 and performed well when healthy last year. Unfortunately, Westburg will not play a single inning for the Orioles this season. The Birds have missed him this year as Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson were thrust into greater roles.
Maybe you thought Jackson Holliday would take a step forward like first overall picks often do. The Birds missed Holliday at the beginning of the season, and the 22-year-old entered this week’s road trip with a .647 OPS.
Were you more focused on the rotation? Trevor Rogers pitched like an All Star starter for a majority of last season. Kyle Bradish, a former Top 5 finisher in Cy Young voting, entered the season ready for a full year of work. There was even hope in the bullpen. Ryan Helsley entered the season as the unquestioned closer for a team that we thought would win a lot of baseball games.
Rogers currently holds a 5.86 ERA. Kyle Bradish is 3-7 with a 4.30 ERA, and Helsley just returned yesterday after an extended stay on the IL.
Almost all of these guys have fallen short of expectations due to injury, poor play, or both. The Orioles expected more out of this group, and they’ll need more if they plan to make a run before the trade deadline.
Surprisingly, some of Baltimore’s most valuable players have come as a surprise. Adley Rutschman already had two All Star nominations under his belt, but he entered 2026 in a 1.5 year slump. Surprisingly, Rutschman could be Baltimore’s only All Star this year. How many of you saw that one coming?
Brandon Young has given the Orioles a chance to win almost every game he’s started. Young entered this week second in the rotation in total WAR. Blaze Alexander started the road trip with a batting average north of .300. Samuel Basallo carried a .790 OPS into last night’s game, and Taylor Ward ranked fourth on the team with 1.3 WAR.
That bunch deserves credit for their play this season, but Ward is the only one that could realistically receive All Star consideration from non-Orioles fans. Ward ranks fifth in the American League in on-base percentage, but his lack of power has come as a disappointment.
There’s been some talk this week about whether the Orioles will end up as trade deadline buyers or sellers. Either way, there’s no chance that the front office acquires anything close to the star power of guys like Henderson or Alonso. It’s unlikely that the team finds a true replacement for Westburg either.
If the Orioles are going to accomplish anything this season, it’s going to be on the backs of the guys we expected to be All Stars this season. One peak at the early returns of fan voting tells the story of the first three months. What will this bunch have to say over the next six weeks?
